Mitten and the art of knitting the same



(ModeL) w. G. MQOMBER. MITTEN AND THE ART OF KNITTING THE SAME.

No. 276,444. Patented Apr. 24,1883.

FIE-f. 1.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. MCOMBER, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

MITTEN AND THE ART OFKNITTING THE SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,444, dated April 24, 1883.

Application filed May I, 1882. (Model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that-I, WILLIAM G. MOOMBER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Mittens and in the Art of Knitting theSame,ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to theart of producing machine-knit mittens; and its object is to produce a machine-knit mitten having an en larged thumb-base.

It consists in the method of enlarging the base of the thumb in the production of the knit fabric.

It also consists in a mitten of peculiar construction, constituting a new article of manufacture, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanyingdrawings,Figure 1 is a representation of the palm portion of my improved mitten; and Fig. 2 is a view of the same before the finger-end portion and open edges of the thumb are joined, and showing the connection of the thumb portion with the wrist portion.

My improved mitten is produced from yarns substantially the same as are usually employed in the manufacture of such or similar goods.

In the production of my improved mitten I employ what is known as the circular-knitting machine, such as are employed in the manufacture of socks, stockings, and like articles; and in the use of such machines in the production of my improved mitten the work is set up on all the needles of the machine in the same manner as in producing socks or stockings, and is commenced at the open wrist end Aof the mitten and the work is produced in tubular form, either in ribbed or plain fabric, by knitting round on the machine in the same direction until the point represented at B, at which it is desirable to commence the thumb, has been reached. At this point I raise out of the action of the needle-moving cam about five-eighths of all the needles employed, which embrace that portion of the work on the lower side of the mitten extending from B to B in Fig. 1. From the points B B the knittingis continued back and forth on the remaining needles, narrowing one stitchon each side in every crossing, which is accomplished by raising above the action of the cam one needle alternately on opposite sides in each crossing until about five needles have been raised on each side, and the points at D will have been reached, completing the gore portions E, and the work will have been narrowed to the width of the upper half of the thumb. From this point, atD, the knitting is continued on the remaining needles back and forth until a length nearly sufficient for the upper portion, F, of the thumb has been produced and the point at G will have been reached. From this point, at G, the work is narrowed on both sides by raising a needle on alternate sides at each crossing until the points H are reached, at which point the work of widening is commenced by depressing the needles last raised on alternate sides until the point G has been reached at which the narrowing commenced, and which completes the taper or rounded end portion of the thumb. From thispoint G the work of producingtheunderportion,I,of the thumb iscontinned, knittingback and forth until a sufficient length is produced, which, when its edges are suitably joined to the edges ofthe upper portion, F, of the thumb will produce a thumb having a forward inclination. This difference in the length of the upper and lower portions of the thumb I have found in practice to be from five to fifteen stitches, varying with the-variations in the different grades of yarn employed, the difference in number of stitches being greatest in the use of the finer yarns, and less when coarser yarns are employed. After the proper length of the under portion, 1, of the thumb is produced, all the raised needles are depressed into working position, and the Work is proceeded with in the tubular form by knitting round in the same direction until the hand portion K is produced of proper length and the point at L has been reached. At this point L one-half of the needles are raised out of the action of the needle-movin g cam, and the knitting is proceeded with, knitting back and forth, and narrowing on each side by raising needles alternately on opposite sides until half of the tapered or rounded finger-end por- 10o tion has been produced and the point at N' has been reached. At this point the work of widening is commenced by depressing the needles on alternate sides last raised until the point L is reached, when the work is cast from all the needles, and the machine-work of the mitten is complete. This taper or rounded end portion of the mitten and also the rounded or taper end of the thumb are produced in substantially the same manner as like parts have been heretofore produced in stockings, socks, and mittens.

After the machine-work of my improved mitten has been completed the open edges of the finger-end portion, and the open edges of the thumb are suitably joined by crocheting, overseaming, or otherwise joining their edge portions in any of the usual methods of joining such parts in like work.

I claim as my invention- 1. The herein-described improved method of knitting mittens, consisting in commencing the knitting at the open wrist end, knitting the wrist portion in tubular work to the thumbseat, raising or dropping out of action the greater portions of the needles, knitting back and forth on the needles retained, narrowing on each side to produce the gore thumb-seat, then continuing the back and forth knitting process to produce the upper portion of the thumb, then narrowing and widening to produce the closed tapered end of the thumb, then knitting the under portion of the thumb, then returning to action the needles first thrown out, then knitting the hand portion in tubular form, then narrowing,and then widening to produce the tapered or rounded fingerend portion, substantially as set forth.

2. As a new article of manufacture, the herein-described mitten, having an enlarged gored thumb-seat formed of knit fabric complete except the finger-end portion and the sides of the thumb, which are closed by seaming, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM G. MGOMBER.

Witnesses:

A. O. BEHEL, JAooB BEHEL. 

